Public Professor

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Legalized Gambling in Canada: Winners and Losers

Dr. Robert Williams explores who really benefits from legalized gambling in Canada, who is left behind and how emerging technologies like AI could shape the future of gambling.

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About the talk

Who’s really cashing in on gambling and who’s in the red? Beginning with a brief historical overview of how and when it was legalized in Canada, this talk will explore how gambling has functioned over time in our country. Topics willinclude who the primary providers are, revenue for different types, payback ratios for each type (they are all bad!), population participation levels and general attitudes towards gambling. While there have been major beneficiaries of legalized gambling (provincial governments being the biggest winners), there are also those who have been negatively impacted, as well as ethical dilemmas that have arisen because of the practice. Dr. Robert Williams will explore all of this and more, concluding with a look to the future, as he explores how the integration of AI might impact legalized gambling in Canada.

About Dr. Robert Williams

Dr. Robert Williams is a clinical psychologist and professor in the Addictions Counselling program in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Lethbridge. He is also a research co-ordinator with the Alberta Gambling Research Institute. Dr. Williams frequently provides consultation to government, industry, the media and public interest groups, and regularly gives expert witness testimony on the impacts of gambling. He is widely published and is considered one of the world’s leading authorities on the prevention and causes of problem gambling, online gambling, the socioeconomic impacts of gambling, the proportion of gambling revenue derived from problem gamblers, Indigenous gambling and the population assessment of problem gambling. Dr. Williams was the principal investigator for the first national study of gambling in Canada (AGRI National Project, ANP-1) and is also the principal investigator for the current followup national study (ANP-2).

Preview of the talk coming soon.

Thank you to our sponsors!

The 2025-26 PUBlic Professor Series is made possible thanks to:  

University of Lethbridge Senate,
Dr. Dennis Connolly (LLD ’17),
Knud Petersen,
Dave and Kathy Greenwood,
Dr. Michelle Helstein,
Dr. Digvir and Manju Jayas,
Deborah Lucas, and 
Dr. Dena McMartin

About the series

In June 2014, the Faculty of Arts & Science launched something special: the PUBlic Professor Series. In 2023, we expanded the series to include talks by researchers from across the University. This monthly lecture series is designed to spark thought-provoking discussions and bring a diverse group of experts and researchers from our campus right into the community.

While the series' scope has grown, its core mission remains unchanged. These talks will continue to offer valuable insights into topics that pique interest, inspire questions, and foster open and engaging conversations. The PUBlic Professor Series provides an excellent opportunity for the community to come together, connect with one another, and dive into meaningful discussions.

This series is a natural extension of the popular Public Professor column, co-edited by Dan Johnson and James Linville, which you may have enjoyed reading in the Lethbridge Herald. Over the span of three years, they published a total of 146 regular Saturday columns, each penned by our talented faculty, sharing intriguing aspects of their research with you.

Together, let’s explore the fascinating world of knowledge, one conversation at a time.

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